Once Upon A Dream
by Fawkes Devaue
Summary: They were bound together by more than just fate or magic, but by blood. Can this fractured family find its happy ending? Will Regina and Snow finally end their feud in order to save their little sister? Will the Beast win the heart of his Beauty? Time will prove that blood is thicker than magic & love just might be thicker than blood. Mainly Rumbelle! Full Summary Inside...


**Full Summary: **They were all bound together by more than just magic or fate – they were bound by blood. Blood is thicker than water, but love is thicker then magic. A Beauty…A Savior…A Resilient Heart…& the Fairest of Them All – they were more than just united; they were family.

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own "Once Upon a Time." It belongs to the writers/producers of the show and the characters belong to Disney. No copyright infringement intended. I am simply taking creative license as a very overly enthusiastic fan – everything else is mine.**

**A/N: **Hello everyone! For those of you who have read my other stories on fanfiction, I hope this story lives up to expectations and you enjoy it as much as my other stories. As for those of you who are new to my writing, I hope you enjoy this story equally! This story is mainly Rumbelle (Mr. Gold/Rumplestiltskin & Belle) centered, however, expect to see other couples such as Captain Swan (Hook & Emma) and Outlaw Queen (Robin & Regina). Thanks to all of you taking the time to read this. Please, send me a review or a PM – I always love hearing from my readers.

**ONCE UPON A DREAM: PART ONE…**

**Prologue:**

"_**Sometimes the greatest journey is the distance between two people."**_

_**-Anonymous**_

_Five Years Old…_

It had been a year since Regina had become engaged to the elderly King Leopold and the wedding was steadily approaching – it was but a few more days away – and in spite of the circumstances of her engagement to the King, the new soon-to-be Queen seemed to have grown quite content with her lot in life. She now knew that it was impossible to escape her mother's demands and that any attempt at an escape was utterly useless. While Regina – the daughter of a Miller and a wealthy Baron – still felt a great deal of anger towards Snow White for betraying her, she had accepted her lot in life.

In the end it was when Regina had met the younger princess of the Kingdom of the Enchanted Forest, Isabeau, that she truly began to move on. Regina had always imagined herself having quite a large family once she and Daniel had settled down, and now that Daniel was dead she had lost all hope of having a family of her own. She may not like Snow, but she figured she could be a mother figure of sorts to her. Any lingering hopes she had for children of her own were dashed to pieces one night while discussing her future with her future husband – he had made it clear that since he already had two children of his own, including one of them being his only heir – that he had no desire of having any more children. However, when Regina finally did meet the youngest of his children her hope was renewed with fervor and she began to grown unbelievably close to the young child she hoped to one day become a mother to.

Isabeau was a sweet child with pale ivory skin, bright sparkling lavender blue eyes, a Cheshire cat smile, and long flowing auburn curls that flowed down her back. Regina didn't know whether it was the fact that she would soon become the child's only mother or the mere fact that she had recently realized that she would be refused children of her own that led her to have such a binding connection with the child – whom she had nicknamed Beau – but she did have that undying connection with her.

In fact, Regina had even been working her way to forgiving Snow for younger girl's betrayal and perhaps it was due to the fact that Beau had somehow bound them all together. Cora did not see the value in such an act since it would make her own acts of revenge meaningless in her crusade to make Regina Queen. Everything she had done to ensure her daughter's, and more importantly her own, power would have been for nothing. She needed her daughter to hate Snow, she needed her to become the Queen she was born to be, she needed Regina to have everything she never had. So, Cora did what she had to in order to ensure her daughter's fate. She sacrificed the life and happiness of one daughter for another.

It was mere days away from the wedding of Regina and King Leopold when Snow was walking her younger sister Isabeau through the royal gardens of their palace. Beau was skipping around a few feet in front of her smelling a flower every few minutes and chasing after butterflies while babbling to Snow about a new character she had been reading about in a new book – she was extremely intelligent for her age – when Snow chose that moment to turn her gaze from her sister's sight…just for a moment. She had been distracted by movement of shadows off to the side near the vine covered stone wall surrounding the gardens. A sudden chill ran over her skin as the presence of someone's eyes watching her from behind the darkness grew more and more pronounced as she tried to see through the shadows themselves.

Isabeau's sudden cry of fear drew Snow back to attention, just in time to see a figure cloaked in black – their face obscured by the hood of their cloak – snatch up little Beau and escape into the darkness. Snow cried out for the palace guards as she tried to chase after her sister.

Regina had been walking with her childhood horse not twenty yards away when she heard Snow's cries and just like before when she had saved Snow from her wild horse a year ago, Regina raced to her aid once more.

When she reached Snow's side she jumped off of her horse just as King Leopold, her own mother – Cora – and her father – Henry – along with many of the palace guards came rushing out into the gardens to see a hysterical and tearing Snow White kneeling on the ground, shock and horror written over the princess' face.

Just as Snow was about to reach the dark cloaked creature that had taken her sister it had disappeared in a puff and swirl of purple smoke.

"What is dearest? What has happened?" pleaded King Leopold with Regina at his side.

"It took her! It took Isabeau! I tried to stop it but…" Snow broke off into heaving gasps of heartache at the loss of her beloved little sister. Her little Blue Belle. The eleven year old Snow White was inconsolable.

Regina stood frozen in horror as the realization of Isabeau's kidnapping gripped her heart just as painfully as the loss of Daniel had. And like the death of Daniel, once again Snow White was to blame.

Cora watched from a few feet away as her daughter became the Queen she would need to be in order to rule the kingdom. She no longer had any weaknesses and now Regina could truly be the ultimate power that she never got the chance to be.

She would come to regret that day, however, when Regina would finally find the strength to banish her forever from her life and heart. Cora would regret tomorrow.

_Eight Years Old…_

It had been ten years since that fateful day and Snow White had been haunted by it each and every day since then. Her only happiness was her True Love, Prince James (David) Charming. But, things were about to change.

It was a few days after they had reclaimed the land from the Evil Queen and while on a patrol with Charming, Red, Grumpy and the rest of the seven dwarves that Snow stumbled across the small buddle in the woods not far from her – now deceased – father's palace.

"Beau! Oh, my Gods! Beau!" Snow cried out as she rushed forward and embraced the child they had found wandering in the woods. The others had all drawn their weapons at Snow's desperate cries until they realized their supposed threat was just a small child.

"Wait? Beau?! 'Blue Belle'…that Beau? I thought she was, you know…dead," asked Red, addressing Charming.

"So did I, but apparently not," replied Charming before he stepped forward to approach his True Love and the child who was indeed is future sister-in-law.

"Snow!" cried Beau as she ran to embrace her sister. There was no explanation to the now very noticeable age difference, especially since Snow was really only six years older than her sister, but Snow didn't care. All she cared about was the fact that her sister was alive and safe.

Charming reached the embracing sisters and knelt down to Snow's side. Snow turned to glance his way, tears of joy pouring from her eyes, once she noticed his presence. "Oh, Charming! It's her. It's a miracle."

"I'm happy for you Snow," said Charming with a warm smile as he gave Snow a calming and loving kiss to the right side of her temple.

"Who are you?" said Beau as she gazed at Charming from her place in Snow's arms.

Snow could not help but choke out a laugh at her younger sister's antics. She was just as precocious, curious and nosy as she had always been. "This…this is Prince Charming. He's going to be your brother soon."

Beau continued to look at Charming, who could help but feel like she was ex-raying him and looking deep within his soul. Her eyes held much more life and knowledge then anyone he had ever met. The only person he had ever met that had ever had that kind of calculating gaze, enough to put him on edge, had been Rumplestiltskin. "It is very nice to meet you, little princess," was Charming's polite reply.

"Is he your True Love," was Beau's forward reply to Charming's greeting.

Charming and Snow laughed warmly. "My, she is a perceptive little creature isn't she," said Charming lovingly. He was already drawn in by the child; it was hard not to fall in love with child right then and there.

"Of course she is," said Snow adoringly. "She is the most beautiful, most intelligent little girl to ever live," said Snow proudly.

"Well, by the looks of things she needs to be taken care of. We should get her to the palace," said Charming. Snow immediately agreed as she took in Beau's physical appearance. Her little blue sundress was a bit worse for wear and her hair was a wild nest of tangles.

So, they were reunited. A couple hours later found Beau splashing around to her little heart's content in Snow's personal bath chamber. Red and Granny had joined Snow in helping to get Beau situated and Red was having quite a lot of fun with Beau as she teased her with small splashes of water. Charming watched the display of what appeared to be a perfect family from the door way when Beau chose that moment to ask the question that Snow had been dreading.

"Where's Regina? Can I see her?" asked Beau. Everyone froze at her words. Snow was the first to make a move as she signaled Red to join Charming and her in the other room.

"Granny, would you mind watching Beau for me?" Snow asked the older woman politely.

"Of course, I'll keep the little beauty company," said Granny kindly as she moved her rocking chair closer to the giggling and lively child.

Snow joined Red and Charming in the next room soon thereafter. "Well, this changes things," said Charming bluntly. He and Red were the only people other than Snow who knew the truth about Snow and Regina and their big dispute between each other. They were also the only ones who knew the truth about Isabeau.

"That would be an understatement. What happens when the Evil Queen learns that Isabeau is still alive? She could come after her or…"

"No," Sow interrupted Red's rant. "No…Regina won't hurt Beau. She loves her as much as I do."

"Are you willing to bet Beau's life on it," said Charming bluntly but truthfully.

"Yes…I still believe that the woman Regina was before Daniel's death…is still there, buried beneath all the pain, heartache, and anger."

"All right."

_One Month Later…_

The day that the Evil Queen had crashed Snow White and Charming's wedding had been the day that she'd gotten her first glance at her little Blue Belle. It had been a shock, for one reason because up until a year ago she had thought her to be lost forever…she had thought her to be dead. Another reason was also because she looked nothing like her older self. Indeed, for a year ago Regina had been dealing with a nineteen year old Isabeau. Regina didn't know how it was possible that she had just seen Isabeau's eight year old self and Snow and Charming's wedding but she had. And now, she intended to never lose her again.

It had been shortly after that fateful event that little Beau had revealed that the "other world" that she had been trapped in for the last ten years had not been a very pleasant place. She had been considered and orphan and while she had been adopted quickly by a loving older couple, they didn't quite understand her. While Beau's "over active imagination" had been cute when she was younger, they had been growing steadily more frustrated that she was refusing to grow up, then there was also the fact that she didn't seem to age in the entire ten years that they had known her. They had involved a well-known doctor of psychology to figure out just what was wrong with her. Dr. Igor.

Snow had been ashamed that her little sister had grown up in such a strained and misunderstanding household in this "other world." After she had learned of Beau's questionable upbringing, she had locked herself in her room seeking only Granny's comfort and advice in how to care for her hurt little sister. Meanwhile, Charming had found a sad looking Beau in the palace gardens – a small miniature sword in one hand. Beau made no movement, not even when Charming sat down beside her and tried to nudge her into a conversation.

"Do you know what a guardian angel is?" asked Charming. Beau turned to look at him questioningly.

"Yes. Why? Are you one?"

"All parents are. They protect their daughters. They love them unconditionally. They understand them. That's their job. But your…adoptive parents…didn't do their job. They weren't there for you when it mattered." Beau looked down in sorrow, but her head tilted back to look up at Charming when he teasingly tapped her nose. With a smile he said, "That's why…you'll just have to make do with me. I'll be your guardian angel." And with those final words he lured her further into the palace garden for her first lesson in sword fighting.

Charming was more than just an older brother-in-law to her…he was the closest thing she had to a father, and in a way she was the closest thing he would have to a daughter, because he would never get the chance to be a true father to his own child. Something dark would come between their perfect little family.

_Fifteen Years Old…_

Belle Castor had been traveling between worlds ever since she was eight years old, which was strange considering she was really twenty years old but looked as if she were no more than fifteen. It took her a couple of years to realize that she only seemed to age when she was in the Enchanted Forest or Wonderland, but when she was in "the other world" …this world (reality) she body ceased to move forward and time froze. She didn't understand it anymore then she understood the fact that she was in essence traveling back in time whenever she visited the Enchanted Forest or Wonderland. Her life was a mystery that she had yet to be uncovered, filled with layers of magic and adventures.

Whenever she traveled between worlds she would disappear for weeks at a time. What seemed like a year in the time of the Enchanted Forest was really a few months in reality. Time moved differently in each world. Her adoptive family found not only her behavior odd, but her very physical appearance a complete enigma. One moment she would appear to be a nine year old child and the next she would disappear for a few weeks and return a teenager. They didn't understand her and often thought what had once been a lively imagination to be a mental disorder. They had employed Dr. Igor at an early age, but it wasn't until recently that they had taken the next step in curing her mental illness of ridiculous fantasies and questionable events that she often tried to convince them to be real.

When they couldn't take it anymore they had granted Dr. Igor complete control of her and she had been taken to a local Asylum, kept in a dark padded room with nothing and no one to help her escape. But she did escape – often – to go on her grand adventures in other worlds, but she always returned in the hopes of someday making them all believe that what she saw and experienced in these other worlds was real. But it never worked…no one believed her.

It was moments like that made her long for her old orphanage with her longtime friend Emma Swan. They had kept in touch even after Belle had been adopted, but she had been forced to lose contact ever since she had been trapped in the asylum. Whenever she got the chance to escape she would try to send a letter or two to Emma, but those times were becoming more and more rare and far between.

It was hopeless…no matter what she did to try to convince them all of her innocence.

_Present Day…_

It had been twenty-eight years since the curse had been cast, and precisely four years since she had seen her beloved Beast – her Rumplestiltskin. Time froze for all of that time until one day it stepped forward and continued on its way…as if it had never stopped to begin with.

For years they had tried to convince her it was all just in her head, and after a while…she believed them. She was yanked from her musings when she was once again ripped from her padded cell for her daily electric shock therapy. The small flickering white scars along her temples were barely concealed by her thick hair.

Her body arched off the table she had been strapped to as the current of electricity raced through her veins and pumped through the nerves of her mind. Everything blurred and what she had thought to be true became a distant memory…nothing more the memories hidden beneath dreams.

**A/N: I hope you all enjoyed reading this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. Please, send me a review and let me know what you think – I love negative and positive feedback equally. Let me know what you guys think, thank you.**

**Next Chapter: The Beginning…**


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